ARACHNID AESTHETICS

Do you remember the first macro image you ever shot? What was it?

- ANIRUDH IYER

I started out doing portraits and business photos and had a 90mm macro lens, which I only used for its portrait capabilities.

After finding a tiny jumping spider in my bathroom, I decided to use the macro lens for what it was originally intended for and was instantly fascinated by the interesting detail I was able to see in the photo – details which were hidden from the naked eye.

The quality of these photos was not even close to the quality of my current work, but it sparked my interest and started my journey into the tiny world – always looking for new colours, forms and textures.

What’s something people often misunderstand about macro photography?

To me macro photography is like a window into that tiny world beneath our feet, which is generally and often overlooked. It is also a very powerful tool for conservation and to create attention to the world’s fascinating biodiversity.

However, maco photography is often featured less prominently in comparison to wildlife photography of bigger animals, like the big 5. People simply seem not to be aware of the wonderful things that are there to discover in and share from the tiny world.

Many people understand macro as only being photography at 1:1 magnification and above, but forget that also at these high magnifications there are stories to tell. Storytelling and composition can elevate macro photography even further but unfortunately I think, quite a lot of people forget about that easily.